Throwback Thursday: Sandra Dogue French West Indies Souvenir Doll

Sandra Dogue doll, Didine

After reading a comment to the post about a French West Indies souvenir doll that I later repaired, a Google search ensued for "Sandra Dogue doll." 

The search resulted in finding "Didine," offered for $13 + postage from Canada to Texas.  Didine arrived during the week of Christmas in the near-exact condition the seller described:

Here is a sweet Sandra Dogue, French Celluloid doll. [Her] name is Didine, she is all original and has her original hangtag. The back of her tag is written in French and English. Didine has earrings. She has such a sweet face and is in good, displayed condition. There is a tiny mark on the end of her nose. The back of her skirt has some storage wrinkles. She has molded shoes and socks. Didine is jointed at her shoulders and hips. She measures 6 1/2" tall. This doll looks cute displayed on her own, or in the arms of a bigger doll.

The seller's measurement of Didine's height differs from my measurement of 7 inches.  Other than that, she is exactly as described.

The English text on the back of the hangtag the seller mentioned is as follows:
Exact reproduction
original costumes
of Caribbee.
       ---
Dressed in Caribbee


The seller's photos are much better than mine and, at the time of publishing this post, were still live:
http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/706494/c-didine1.1L.jpg?33
http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/706494/c-didine1.2L.jpg?31

A similar Sandra Dogue doll, Letchi, was offered on Etsy by another seller.  I like Didine better. 

Full view of Didine

Thank you, Fiery Dragon Lady, for your comment, which led me to Didine and her now presence in my collection:

Hi Debbie! I'm not sure if you're familiar with the very excellent French West Indies souvenir dolls created in France by Sandra Dogue. This doll with the blue eyes appears to be a knockoff version based on the Dogue dolls which, in the past, have been extremely collectable because they are exquisite. Her dolls were not white painted black - they were created authentically for the souvenir market in Martinique and excellent materials were used in dressing them as well as gold-tone beaded jewelry. They are also made of lightweight celluloid but I have seen enough of these dolls which are preserved in mint condition to say that they are far superior to the doll shown above. Don't forget - back in the 1930s and 1940s, only the rich could afford to travel to the Caribbean and the quality of many of the dolls reflects that upscale market. I don't know how to post a photo of a Sandra Dogue doll here or I would do so.


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